Senior Chemist

The Richmond Group USA; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Richmond Group USA is seeking a Senior Chemist in Charleston, SC to lead elastomer formulation and material development for highly engineered products. This role blends R&D with manufacturing, translating lab formulations into robust production-grade materials.

You will drive formulation optimization, evaluate additives, and collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing and Product Development to ensure durable, safe elastomer systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on elastomer formulation and development experience.
• Master’s or Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science or a related discipline.
• Strong knowledge of rubber compounding and curing systems, including sulfur and/or peroxide cure.
• Experience with NR, Butyl/Bromobutyl, EPDM or similar elastomer systems.
• Understanding of rheology, cure kinetics and structure-property relationships.
• Experience supporting manufacturing scale-up.
• Familiarity with MDR, DSC, TGA, tensile and/or dielectric testing.
• Experience with dielectric or electrical insulating materials is particularly relevant.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation and optimization of elastomer compounds.
• Evaluate a variety of additives, raw materials and develop materials for durability and safety specifications.
• Support manufacturing scale up that includes compounding, mixing, dipping and curing processes.
• Partner with manufacturing to scale formulations from lab development through commercial production.
• Serve as a technical resource across R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing and Product Development.
• Explore next-generation polymer technologies and new raw materials.

Skills

Elastomer formulation

Rheology & cure kinetics

Manufacturing scale-up

Dielectric testing

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science or a related discipline

Tools

MDR

DSC

TGA

Tensile testing

Job description

Senior Chemist | Elastomers Formulation | Charleston, SC | Onsite

We are seeking a Senior Chemist to lead elastomer formulation and material development for highly engineered products used in demanding applications.

This is an opportunity for an experienced polymer scientist who enjoys working at the intersection of R&D, material science and manufacturing developing formulations in the lab, scaling them into production, and seeing the resulting material become a finished product.

This isn't purely a lab-based research position. We are looking for someone who can develop the chemistry, understand how it behaves in manufacturing, and help translate material science into reliable product performance.

What You'll Work On

• Lead formulation and optimization of elastomer compounds
• Evaluate a variety of additives, raw materials and Develop materials for durability and safety specifications
• Support manufacturing scale up that includes compounding, mixing, dipping and curing processes
• Partner with manufacturing to scale formulations from lab development through commercial production
• Serve as a technical resource across R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing and Product Development
• Explore next-generation polymer technologies and new raw materials

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of hands-on elastomer formulation and development experience
• Master’s or Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science or a related discipline
• Strong knowledge of rubber compounding and curing systems, including sulfur and/or peroxide cure
• Experience with NR, Butyl/Bromobutyl, EPDM or similar elastomer systems
• Understanding of rheology, cure kinetics and structure-property relationships
• Experience supporting manufacturing scale-up
• Familiarity with MDR, DSC, TGA, tensile and/or dielectric testing
• Experience with dielectric or electrical insulating materials is particularly relevant

The position is onsite in North Charleston, South Carolina.